February 25, 2008

Plans have been announced for a joint collaboration between the City of Little Rock and The Peabody Little Rock for a redesigned Riverfront Park to include a new children's adventure playground, Peabody Park, scheduled to open May 2008.

"We are excited and proud to be part of the renovation of Riverfront Park," said Gregg Herning, general manager, The Peabody Little Rock. "Our owners, the Belz family, have always been committed to supporting programs and activities for children in our destination cities, both for our respective local communities and for our hotel guests. Dr. Dean Kumpuris, Little Rock City director, is the tour de force in the development of the River Market district and Riverfront Park. Because of his dedication and goodwill towards our city, and the sterling work he did to develop our River Market district, we chose him to be the second recipient of our hotel's annual Peabody Duck Walk of Fame Award. Meanwhile, it's going to be fun for everyone to see our Peabody Park come to fruition."

The Peabody Park is designed to facilitate imaginative play, with green spaces, tunnels, a tube slide, a climbing wall, a splash fountain, a spacenet and a 'tree room.' All of this, along with the other innovative improvements planned by the City of Little Rock, will add a great many opportunities for exploring and enjoying the delights of this extraordinary riverside city.

The Peabody hotel partnered with the city to provide $250,000 over the next five years to fund renovations to Riverfront Park. This donation is the most recent from various businesses and individuals. "Riverfront Park could not undergo such extensive renovation without the support of businesses like The Peabody," said Kumpuris. "They have been very generous with this gift to our city. I hope that others in the community will do likewise as we continue making Central Arkansas an attractive, welcoming place for residents and visitors alike."

Improvements to the west of Peabody Park have been completed and feature extensive revamps to Belvedere Pavilion and the creation of two gardens. The "Forever a Rose" Garden overlooks the Arkansas river and the Jack Fleischauer Garden on the Arkansas River Trail just behind The Peabody hotel features native grasses and plants. Renovations to the east of Peabody Park are underway. History Pavilion overlooks what later will be a redeveloped area surrounding "La Petite Roche," the "little rock" that inspired the city's name. Natural wetland areas will flank the park's river border as part of the William E. Clark Presidential Park Wetlands Project. The Arkansas Fish & Game Commission's Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center opens within the park later this summer.

The Peabody Little Rock is an AAA Four Diamond rated, Wine Spectator Award of Excellence property of Peabody Hotels within the portfolio of Peabody Hotel Group, Memphis, Tennessee.